AAA Newsletter Summer 20181

Summer 2018 Newsletter

In this Issue: Culture of EncounterEncountering the MigrantEncountering CreationMission, Advocacy, & Action Prayers for Apostolic DiscipleshipAdditional Resources

Culture of EncounterThe best example of the “culture of encounter“ is Pope Francis, but there are many examples we witness in our daily lives. On this topic, two pieces were contributed for Summer ’18 AAA e-news: Pope Francis is calling us to develop a “culture of encounter” and film commentary: Pope Francis: A Man of Hs Word.

Pope Francis calls us to develop a “culture of encounter”: What does this mean? by Roger Bergman

Filmmaker Deeyah Khan, Norwegian British of Punjab/Pashtun descent, traveled to the U.S. to investigate the rise of white nationalism, not so much as might a sociologist, but as Pope Francis might, as a matter of personal encounter. “White Right: Meeting the Enemy” (available on Netflix) focuses on her conversations with four men, members (or former members) of the KKK, the neo-Nazis, a skinhead rock band. She inter-views each in their homes, respectfully, but asks tough questions, such as “Would you deport me, a Muslim woman of color, if you had the chance?”

Two of her encounters are with men who have not only renounced white nationalism but have embraced an-ti-racist activism. Their keen insights into their earlier lives are stunningly honest. Another neo-Nazi contacts her sometime after their interview to report he has resigned from his position in the movement. Why? Be-cause Deeyah treated him with respect, became a friend, and he didn’t want bad things to happen to her. The skinhead rocker, with swastika and KKK symbols tattooed on his chest, admits Deeyah is the first Muslim he had ever met, and he now, too, regards her as a friend—but still thinks that all Jews and homosexuals should be exterminated. Well, it’s a start.

The power of encounter when carried out as Ms. Khan does in her filmmaking transcends prejudice, unleashes empathy, and turns enemies into friends. That’s the best good news I’ve heard in a long while, and all because of one (non-Christian) woman’s enactment of what Pope Francis calls a “culture of encounter.” She teaches us how to love our enemies.Dr. Roger Bergman was a member of “Ite CLC” in Omaha, Nebraska, from 2000 to 2017. The founding director of the Justice & Peace Studies Program at Creighton University, he now lives in Santa Barbara, California with his wife Dr. Wendy Wright.

Office of Apostolic Advocacy and Action

Pray with and Follow

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Film commentary: Pope Francis: A Man of his Word by Jeanne DeSimone Sieger

In the new film by Academy Award nominee Wim Wenders (music by Patti Smith), Pope Francis, A Man of His Word, Pope Francis meets our gaze. I see him look directly at me as if he were sitting next to me, in the middle of a long con-versation with me, just the two of us! It is clear that he has only positive feelings (compassion and love) for me. But he has a clear, urgent message for me, too, discussing topics such as ecology, immigration, consumerism, and social justice.

He speaks of the poorest of the poorest of the poor. This is Mother Earth. In his eyes, Francis also shows great love for her. Then, with stunning photography, Wenders takes us around the world, visiting the poor and Mother Earth in many different circumstances, always in love and in awe, but at times in sorrow. We also visit Francis of Assisi, who unites with us, in love, respect, and concern for the poorest of the poor. We soon come to understand that “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one.”

If singing can be considered “praying twice,” then this film is the visual and auditory call we hear in Laudato Sí, Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter On Care for Our Common Home. Both encyclical and film are “must-read-see-and-hear” sources of life. At the end of the movie, Francis again meets our gaze and says, “We have so much to do, and we must do it together.” To this most urgent message, we can respond: “Yes, we hear the call, and we can, we must, and we will do it together!”

Click here for a trailer of the movie. Link to: Paul Elie article in New Yorker about the movie

Encountering the MigrantAs we write this AAA e-newsletter, the big story regarding immigration is the separation of children and families at the border, placing children in cages & tents, on airplanes, in detention centers, with children & parents not knowing where the other ones are or when they’ll be reunited. Our CLC-USA AAA Facebook page has much to read, petitions to sign, and ongoing discussion of this story and how we all might best respond. Two stories were contributed for Summer ’18 AAA e-news: “My story“ and “Supporting immigrants in South Florida.” Resources also provided.

“My story” by Anonymous (Diaspora, CVX member since 1983)

I moved to USA in 2007 together with my two children to join their father, leav-ing my teaching job that I had been doing for 13 consecutive years. I left my professional security, my beloved friends and family as well as the familiar Filipino lifestyle that I grew up with my entire life.

If it were not because of my dream that embarking on a new journey -- moving to the USA -- would warrant a brighter future for my children and an intact fam-ily, I would not have left my most-cherished Philippine country. It was never easy to meet all the legal immigration requirements, then to get approved by the US embassy in my country.

Immigration “requirements” (in my own country) mean sky-high expenses as well as going through “the eye of a needle” in order to secure all the paperwork needed. I was told by our colleagues, our families, and our friends that my little family was fortunate to have been offered the rare opportunity to exchange a life from a third-to-a-first world country.

Artwork by Maya

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Sadly, after having lived in USA for 11 years, I still do not have my green card. My story might be an exception to common success stories of most immigrant aliens. I don’t know. I have experienced domestic violence that messed up my immigration status totally. And, at the present moment, I am seeking resources to help me and waiting to take the next steps to improve my immigration situation. While it came to pass that living in USA has changed my life for the better materially, it however made me experience the worst nightmares I have ever experienced in my life.

My journey is not over, but having connected to CLC in my new country has helped me spiritually and in many other ways. Please pray for me, dear CLC/CVX sisters and brothers!

“Supporting Immigrants in South Florida”Every Wednesday, a group of persons wait for hours in line outside the offices of Immigration and Customs Enforce-ment (ICE) in Miramar, Florida, where hundreds of immi-grants report to update their official immigration paper work, get work permits, formalize their immigration status, etc. They wait and wait, until it is their turn, normally 4 to 6 hours, in the sun, rain, or cold. One example is a man who arrived at 3:00 a.m. for an appointment at 7:00 a.m., even though by 10:00 a.m. he had not yet even entered the building. Very, very long waiting! Many lose a day of work, others have to bring their babies in their arms, walking, by car, or by bus.

We offer a bit of comfort: a water bottle, tips about how agencies can help, or an ear to listen to their stories. Persons are from Nicaragua, Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, Haiti, Romania, to name a few. We have learned a lot from this ministry at the ICE offices every Wednesday, and are thankful to the Arrupe Institute for inviting us to join them in this important and life-giving accompaniment.

It’s sad to see how the people waiting in line are treated. They are given no access to the bathroom and the nearest one is a public toilet two blocks from the ICE office. Once they are inside the building, they are not permitted to have anything to eat, not even a bottle for their babies! Many never leave the ICE Office; they are deported immediately. Others come out with an ankle bracelet, and still others have to report monthly, going through the same de-humanizing situation month after month.

“Weekly Circle of Protection” is supported by United we Dream, Women Working Together, Friends of Miami Dade Detainees, and Jesuit Institute Pedro Arrupe (IJPA) Some Miami CLC members volunteer in this pro-gram. Thanks to Instituto Jesuita Pedro Arrupe (IJPA) for their generosity in this mission, sharing this article, photo, and loving communal spirit! Permission given from Instituto Jesuita Pedro Arrupe dot org √

Jesuit Organizations Denounce Unjust Treatment of

Asylum Seekers and Migrant Families** “Loyola University Chicago’s Center for the Human Rights of Children, the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology, Kino Border Initiative, the Association of Jesuit Colleges & Universities, and 11 Jesuit law schools strongly oppose the so-called “Zero Tolerance” policy of the Trump Administration, which reinforces the crim-inalization of migration and has already separated thousands of migrant families.”

“We denounce President Trump’s recent Executive Order, which fails to provide a solution to the family sepa-ration crisis, and instead mandates that migrant families be held in detention. And we decry the failure of the

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U.S. Government to comply with international and U.S. law in processing and referring fear-based asylum claims at U.S. Ports of Entry in a timely manner. These policies and practices are morally repugnant, violate the rights of asylum seekers as well as children and families, and create permanent harm to the spirit, health and well-being of vulnerable individuals and families.”

Jesuit organizations along the U.S.-Mexico border have been accompanying individuals and families who seek to access their right to international protection. We have been disheart-ened to witness long delays by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the processing and referral of these lawful claims at U.S. Ports of Entry, which leave vulnerable individuals and families in precarious situations for up to 14 days. Rather than accessing their rights, migrants are suffering hunger and thirst, threats, and other forms of violence. In des-peration, some choose to cross the border at unofficial points of entry because they have been denied their right to access safety or because they were never aware of the asylum process in the first place, but only knew that they needed to bring their children to safety.

** Excerpts. Contact: Tracey Primrose, Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology Phone: 202-629-5933; Email: JCUcommunications@jesuits.org See entire statement on AAA page of CLC-USA website

Encountering Creation

Season of Creation This section encompasses news, actions, and possibilities which various CLC persons and groups have done, related to Laudato Si (Care of Our Common Home). It especially gives us ideas for how to celebrate the Season of Cre-ation, September 1 to October 4, in our parishes, workplaces, communities, and our homes.

At the recent Laudato Si’ Conference in Rome, Pope Francis made reference to the Paris Climate Agreement in his remarks at this gathering on the 3rd Anniversary of this encyclical:

“All governments should strive to honour the commitments made in Paris, in order to avoid the worst conse-quences of the climate crisis. Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility, above all on the part of those countries which are more powerful and pollute the most” (ibid., 169), and “we cannot afford to waste time.” His full talk

CLC-USA signed on to the statement “Catholics Are Still In.” Regional and local groups are encouraged to do so, too! Webinar with information on this.

Visit the Season of Creation website for information, liturgies, suggestions for actions and to connect with others.

Laudato Si. July update from Pope Francis. A Readers’ Guide to Laudato Si

Energy Transition (w. Pope Francis): Audience of the Holy Father with the participants in the Symposium for Directors of the main companies in the oil and natural gas sector, and of other energy-related businesses, 09.06.2018

United Nations Climate Change Information

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Creation CareSr Mary Ann Wachtel (a member of the AAA team) was blessed to attend and report back on the Saint Louis Climate Summit (April 22-24, 2018).

“Climate Change is a problem which can no longer be left to our future generation.” -- Pope Francis

The 2018 Saint Louis Climate Summit brought together some of the most authoritative minds in climate science, ecology, sustainable development and related disciplines for three days of discussion on climate change. The summit highlighted key issues, celebrated notable achievements and elucidated a path forward. All of this was presented in nine topics with presentations from twenty-four speakers. Cardinal Peter Turkson opened the conference by speaking on “The Gospel of Creation: Indispensable for Climate of Hope.” Cardinal Turkson played an instrumental role along with Doctor Peter Raven, in the formulation of Pope Francis’ en-cyclical Laudato Si’, released three years ago as a landmark document that reflects upon humankind’s moral obligation to address the issue of climate change.

Upcoming Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, CA, September 12-14, 2018

Mission, Advocacy, & Action

Jesuit Parish Social Justice SummitTwo members of CLC’s Office of AAA, Pat Carter Anderson and Mac Johnson, attended the Jesuit Parish Social Justice Summit at Regis University in Denver, Colorado on June 17 and 18. It was sponsored by the Ignation Spirituality Network. The purpose of the conference was to develop networking among the parish staff and share best practices in light of GC36. Brian Christopher, SJ gave a thought provoking talk on reconciliation and justice, “Reconciliation in an Age of Rage”/ Pat and Mac presented a breakout session on “Developing Dis-cerning Communities for Reconciliation and Justice.” These materials can be found at Jesuit Summit Materi-als.

More follow up will be included in the next AAA newsletter.

KCLC AAACLC-USA’s Office of Apostolic Action & Advocacy has been blessed to have a KCLC member on the team (KCLC discerns and appoints a representa-tive to serve in this role), deepening our aware-ness of the Spirit’s movement of ministry across the whole national CLC-USA body. Jungsook Catherine Chung shares about the Workshop on Apostolic Advocacy and Actions held by KCLC from Nov. 7th to 10th in 2017 at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center in Pittsburgh. Thirty-seven KCLC members attended from all over the states and twelve of them were from NY and NJ. A rep-resentative from each region reported the members’ apostolic activities. The Korean Jesuit priest, Oh-Chang (Simon) Kwon, S.J. who presented for this gathering, runs an institute in which teachers teach the necessary skills for handicapped youth to get jobs in Cambodia. The workshop was very full, and rich and beautiful expe-rience. Everybody felt becoming one in Our Lord, Jesus.

For those who were not able to attend the workshop in Pittsburgh, New York and New Jersey CLC members held a workshop the next day (11/11/17) and KCLC collected $4,000 for the institute on the spot. KCLC has also contributed to the water filtration efforts in Puerto Rico that CLC member Ramon Calzada has been oversee-

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ing. NYKCLC supports St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School-Nairobi, Kenya, Angels’ House in Guatemala, Soup Kitchen in Newark, and some other ministries as well. Websites: English and NYKCLC in Korean

To better understand “mission,” Pat Carter Anderson takes an historical perspective of “mission” in CLC. Then, Beti Leone asks “what are we called to do,” and gives examples of what one CLC member might do in her daily life, on social justice issues.

Mission as Embodied by Christian Life Community by Pat Carter Anderson

In one sense the mission of CLC has not changed in 50 years, or 500 years, or 2000 years! As St. Ignatius invites us in the Principle and Foundation, our mission is to remember whose we are and to respond to our loving Creator God’s invitation to participate with him in the building of God’s kingdom.

But the context of that mission has changed as the times that we live in have changed. Issues such as climate change, displaced persons, human trafficking, and gender equality were just beginning to emerge 50 years ago. And even the term ‘social justice’ was just beginning to be used. People like Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., were just beginning to raise our awareness to the reality that there are societal structures that cause poverty and marginalization. And spiritual thinkers such as Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, began to shift our relationship with God from a patriarchal image to an incarnational experience — all is one and interconnected by God’s creative love.

At the same time, new ways of responding to these issues have also arisen: social analysis and theological reflection, creative nonviolence, and restorative justice. There is also a rising awareness of the importance of a discerning community of reconciliation and justice, to do this work as reflected in the Jesuit Decree of their General Congregation 36. The World ExCo has invited us to use Projects 168 and 169 to help us prepare for the World Assembly. These two documents outline a taste of our own graced history in the last 50 years as well as the changing context in the church and the world. Projects 168 speaks of a “Kairos” moment, “a time that is especially right, critical, opportune and proper to take a deliberate course of action to achieve a desirable end.“

As we look to CLC’s future, are we being called to incorporate some of the tools of our time — social analysis and theological reflection, creative nonviolence, restorative justice, a culture of reconciliation — into our for-mation materials so that we too can be communities of reconciliation and justice? “What have you done for Christ; what are you doing for Christ; what ought you do for Christ?”

This is a brief summary of the article by Pat in Harvest Vol. 51, No. 1, 2018.

What are we called to do? - Paying attention to signs of the times by Beti Leone**

Reading about what is going on in the world is in my DNA. As I read, I feel called. The injustices all around pull at my heart, stir up strong emotions, and go deep to my soul. Reading and listening bring me face to face with real people who are suffering, in Palestine, at our border, in colonized Puerto Rico, and in the extreme heat of pesti-cide-soaked fields of Central California.

I learned to “pray with the newspaper” from my mom. She would show us what she was reading and dream how things could be made better for the poor & oppressed. And she explained how we were all complicit, in some way, in their suffering, because

of our “first world” lifestyles. With mom & dad, we learned about racism, policing, incarceration, dictatorships, and politics, to name a few. Things were framed in terms of war and peace, civil

Beti and René with materi-als for “Get on the Bus”

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rights & human rights in the U.S. and abroad. We were taught to always ask questions, to analyze, to dis-agree, and to imagine a better world for everyone. These conversations were life-giving.

As an adult, I find that I “do advocacy and action” often, and here are a few examples.

1. Reading and learning. Reading USCCB statements (Sept, 2017) on racism, news release on refugees and asylum (June, 2018), and daily e-mails that inform, amaze, sadden, anger, and inspire me to advocacy and action: Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), National Catholic Reporter, BraveNewFilms, Jewish Voice for Peace, Catholic Climate Covenant, Network, Pace Bene, America, Poor Peoples Campaign.

2. Catholic Advocacy Day. We attended a day talking to politicians in our state capitol (Sacramento), orga-nized by Catholic Legislative Nework. (Central CA Catholic Life, May, 2018 dioceseoffresno.org) All day, we focused on six pieces of legislation and found it purposeful and life-giving. Handouts & talking points connected to Catholic Social Teaching.

3. Restorative Justice Works. (“Get on the Bus”). This program takes children to visit incarcer-ated parents in California prisons. This year, we obtained donated teddy bears for a Moth-er’s Day trip, and made blankets for the children for a Father’s Day trip. (www.crjw.us)

4. Advocacy options. If you visit Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, several options for advocacy are listed: Experience, Write, Pray, and Volunteer. All is clearly, beautifully engaging for all who visit the website.

Again we ask, “What are we called to do?” Yes, pay attention to the signs of the times; be contemplatives in action. And it helps if you have a guide or spiritual “ally” when discerning “what we are called to do.”

We are called to be missionary disciples, to serve God, as God desires, following Jesus: feed the sick, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, welcome the stranger. And we must translate this to our times -- here and now. Read the newspaper, connect with ISN, visit CLC-USA.org and AAA pages. If we do these things, we are an-swering this call to follow Christ as He showed us what to do. This is not politics; this is radical love.

** Thanks to Jim O‘Brien, SJ for a recent conversation about “what we are called to do.”

Prayers for Apostolic Discipleship

“Beauty in our Diversity”

Come, O Holy Spirit!

Come, open us to the wonder, beauty, and dignity of the diversity found in each culture, in each face, and in each experience we have of the other among us.

Come, fill us with generosity as we are challenged to let go and allow others to share with us the goods and beauty of earth.

Come, heal the divisions that keep us from seeing the face of Christ in all men, women, and children.

Come, free us to stand with and for those who must leave their own lands in order to find work, security, and welcome in a new land, one that has enough to share.

Come, bring us understanding, inspiration, wisdom, and the courage needed to embrace change and stay on the journey.Come, O Holy Spirit, show us the way.

(United States Conference of Catholic Bishops • Justice for Immigrants Campaign 202-541-3352)

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A CLC Prayer for the World Assembly“We desire greater depth, integration, and joy in the living out of our CLC charism

in the world today as discerning, contemplative activists!

Thank You, Creator God, for loving our Ignatian community into being! We come to you filled with gratitude for making us partners in your ongoing work of creation. May we experience Your unique presence within the interconnected, sacred web of creation. Thank you for the last 450+ years, the past 50+ years as Christian Life Community, for leading CLC through world, cultural, political and faith-based changes. Thank you for our founders -- men and women who believed in the ability of the laity to live and pray the Spiritual Exercises and to co-labor in all ways to bring forth what Love is hoping for in your good creation.

The gift of our mission, founded on the practice of reflection and discernment, enables us to make decisions which call us to stand in solidarity and kinship and moves us to active service rooted in justice and love.

We ask for the grace to live out our unique Ignatian vocation as discerning people in a world which is con-stantly changing, challenging our faith, our values and our sense of Gospel living. Help us to desire and choose that which leads to Your deepening life in us, that which is more conducive to the end for which we are cre-ated. Fill us with enthusiasm and wonder as we receive these gifts with open minds, generous heart, and a willing spirit. Looking to find your hopes and will in all things, we rest in Your holy Love as we seek to make ourselves available for the Magis invitation. May our lives be a pleasing work in praise of You and for the good of all our sisters and brothers. Empower us, Holy Spirit, to extend our arms in welcome to the future in trust that the best is yet to come! Be born in us, Incarnate Love.

We ask this in Your name, Creator Spirit of All Life, and in the name of our Community saints on whose shoul-ders we stand… Amen.

--Adapted by Carol Gonzalez for CVX-CLC 2018 from Barbara Bedolla’s 450th CLC Anniversary prayer

Additional Resources and Action Alerts 1. The Texas-Mexico Border. “Dispatch from a parish on El Paso-Juarez border LINK:

2. Racism. “Racism is a sickness of the soul. Can Jesuit spirituality help us heal? LINK:

3. Hospitality. Volunteer in Italy offering refugee hospitality

4. The Pastoral Circle. See, Judge, Act: The Pastoral Circle and Separation of Families at the Border

5. Puerto Rico & Inequality. Excellent (long) article by Naomi Klein. “The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Ricans and Ultrarich ‘Puertopians’ Are Locked in a Pitched Struggle over How to Remake the Island.”

6. The Leap. 15-minute TED Talk by Naomi Klein. Creating movements of deep transformation out of mul-tiple crises, movements with wholistic, integrated vision and a creative imagination. She shows us how a vision of the ideal -- i.e., what we need to do, to develop a culture of caregiving -- is urgently needed. We must LEAP to a common “yes,” where the inherent value of all is recognized. Klein was invited to speak to Pope Francis, as they share a desire for an integral ecology; and this matches our AAA vision: “The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one.” (We in CLC seek greater awareness of our interconnected-ness. )

7. The rich, the poor and the trash… Trash, a symbol of our times. A “must-see” documentary!! This 28-minute film, available on youtube explores extreme inequality that demands prophetic witness and action! So, let’s be part of the solution, not part of the problem! Watch, pray with, discuss in our local communities. Integrates so many of our CLC frontier mission areas, and illustrates integral ecology in this unique exploration. LINK